Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
@zeotherm.bsky.social
AI Architect, Single Dad, Engineer, Amateur Rocket Surgeon, Gaming Nerd, Baltimore Born
https://arstechnica.com/author/matt-ford/
#Lego #EthicsInAI #DnD #Gaming #SciComm
https://arstechnica.com/author/matt-ford/
#Lego #EthicsInAI #DnD #Gaming #SciComm
This is not cool
December 9, 2025 at 5:23 AM
This is not cool
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
Judge in the case that rejects the admin's moratorium on wind power permitting drops this beauty: "Whatever level of explanation is required when deviating from longstanding agency practice, this is not it."
Also accuses admin's lawyers of "tilting at windmills".
Coverage tomorrow.
Also accuses admin's lawyers of "tilting at windmills".
Coverage tomorrow.
December 9, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Judge in the case that rejects the admin's moratorium on wind power permitting drops this beauty: "Whatever level of explanation is required when deviating from longstanding agency practice, this is not it."
Also accuses admin's lawyers of "tilting at windmills".
Coverage tomorrow.
Also accuses admin's lawyers of "tilting at windmills".
Coverage tomorrow.
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
Hi, it's your pal Sam here. I'd like to remind you for what feels like the 100th time that breaking something and then "fixing" it is a classic hallmark of authoritarianism.
Shit. They're gonna put that on my headstone, aren't they?
www.npr.org/2025/12/08/n...
Shit. They're gonna put that on my headstone, aren't they?
www.npr.org/2025/12/08/n...
Trump administration announces $12 billion in one-time payments to farmers
The payments are targeted at row crop farmers in the wake of this year's tariff hikes.
www.npr.org
December 9, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Hi, it's your pal Sam here. I'd like to remind you for what feels like the 100th time that breaking something and then "fixing" it is a classic hallmark of authoritarianism.
Shit. They're gonna put that on my headstone, aren't they?
www.npr.org/2025/12/08/n...
Shit. They're gonna put that on my headstone, aren't they?
www.npr.org/2025/12/08/n...
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
#ICYMI: ProPublica obtained records from the Department of Agriculture that detailed the millions of pounds of food, down to the number of eggs, that never reached food banks because of the Trump administration’s cuts to an aid program.
(Published Oct. 2025)
(Published Oct. 2025)
Trump Canceled 94 Million Pounds of Food Aid. Here’s What Never Arrived.
ProPublica obtained records from the Department of Agriculture that detail the millions of pounds of food, down to the number of eggs, that never reached food banks because of the administration’s cut...
projects.propublica.org
December 9, 2025 at 4:00 AM
#ICYMI: ProPublica obtained records from the Department of Agriculture that detailed the millions of pounds of food, down to the number of eggs, that never reached food banks because of the Trump administration’s cuts to an aid program.
(Published Oct. 2025)
(Published Oct. 2025)
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
The worst year, the best city, the best recap not just of Baltimore news but national news with a Baltimore lens
We remember the anniversary of the Baltimore Uprising, BGE rate increases, Baltimore harm reduction organizations and more in the best and worst of what made headlines this year.
baltimorebeat.com/best-of-2025...
baltimorebeat.com/best-of-2025...
Best Of 2025: News
Best Champion Tawanda Jones How many people do you know who have turned down a million bucks for something they believe in and for someone they love? Not just say they would turn down the cash, but re...
baltimorebeat.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:41 AM
The worst year, the best city, the best recap not just of Baltimore news but national news with a Baltimore lens
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
Remember, as Sean Duffy keeps telling us his ideas for air travel -- dress up nice for your flight! do a little workout before you get on too! -- this is an actual Good Thing We Wanted that Democrats secured for us before these assholes took it away
White House Scraps Cash Payments for Delayed or Canceled Flights
www.nytimes.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Remember, as Sean Duffy keeps telling us his ideas for air travel -- dress up nice for your flight! do a little workout before you get on too! -- this is an actual Good Thing We Wanted that Democrats secured for us before these assholes took it away
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
"The party is the state" coming from the people who somehow think they're anti-communists.
Happening now: Texas leaders announcing a rollout of a statewide program to put TPUSA chapters in high schools and colleges across the state. Gov. Abbott adds that schools that stand in the way should be reported to the Texas Education Agency.
December 9, 2025 at 12:27 AM
"The party is the state" coming from the people who somehow think they're anti-communists.
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
MAGA Traitors Need to "Go Back" and Leave America
If the GOP hates the Constitution, diversity, free and fair elections, voting rights, and the concept of separation of church and state, then maybe it hates America & should leave.
open.substack.com/pub/thelefth...
If the GOP hates the Constitution, diversity, free and fair elections, voting rights, and the concept of separation of church and state, then maybe it hates America & should leave.
open.substack.com/pub/thelefth...
December 9, 2025 at 12:29 AM
MAGA Traitors Need to "Go Back" and Leave America
If the GOP hates the Constitution, diversity, free and fair elections, voting rights, and the concept of separation of church and state, then maybe it hates America & should leave.
open.substack.com/pub/thelefth...
If the GOP hates the Constitution, diversity, free and fair elections, voting rights, and the concept of separation of church and state, then maybe it hates America & should leave.
open.substack.com/pub/thelefth...
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
To recap:
•Rittenhouse killed 2 people at a BLM rally & raised $2M
•Shiloh Hendrix called a Black child the n-word & raised $800K
•Now Crystal Wilsey called a Black customer the n-word & has already raised $100K in 1 day
On thing remains clear—White supremacy remains extremely profitable in America
•Rittenhouse killed 2 people at a BLM rally & raised $2M
•Shiloh Hendrix called a Black child the n-word & raised $800K
•Now Crystal Wilsey called a Black customer the n-word & has already raised $100K in 1 day
On thing remains clear—White supremacy remains extremely profitable in America
December 8, 2025 at 9:13 PM
To recap:
•Rittenhouse killed 2 people at a BLM rally & raised $2M
•Shiloh Hendrix called a Black child the n-word & raised $800K
•Now Crystal Wilsey called a Black customer the n-word & has already raised $100K in 1 day
On thing remains clear—White supremacy remains extremely profitable in America
•Rittenhouse killed 2 people at a BLM rally & raised $2M
•Shiloh Hendrix called a Black child the n-word & raised $800K
•Now Crystal Wilsey called a Black customer the n-word & has already raised $100K in 1 day
On thing remains clear—White supremacy remains extremely profitable in America
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
oh hey look it’s the thing literally everyone said would happen
Two months after President Donald Trump signed an executive order restricting H-1B visas, soaring costs are roiling rural health care facilities that have long struggled to find staff.
Rural America relies on foreign doctors. Trump’s visa fee shuts them out.
The Trump administration’s demand for companies to pay a $100,000 fee to hire an immigrant worker using an H1B visa has created turmoil among rural health providers.
wapo.st
December 8, 2025 at 7:17 PM
oh hey look it’s the thing literally everyone said would happen
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
December 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
I wish I had spoilers for the ending of this story
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
December 8, 2025 at 3:59 AM
I wish I had spoilers for the ending of this story
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
When you've never heard the words: dual citizenship
December 7, 2025 at 10:39 PM
When you've never heard the words: dual citizenship
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
The true Gen X reaction to being lauded as the "greatest generation" would be to narrow its eyes suspiciously and mutter "whatever" when asked about it
(gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/t...
(gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/t...
Is Gen X Actually the Greatest Generation?
www.nytimes.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:17 PM
The true Gen X reaction to being lauded as the "greatest generation" would be to narrow its eyes suspiciously and mutter "whatever" when asked about it
(gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/t...
(gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/t...
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
Trump just out here pardoning criminals for political favors
Trump rages that Henry Cuellar didn’t pay him back for a pardon by switching parties, blasting Cuellar for a “lack of LOYALTY.”
In other words, Trump admits he was trying to use his pardon power to buy Republicans a House seat.
In other words, Trump admits he was trying to use his pardon power to buy Republicans a House seat.
December 7, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Trump just out here pardoning criminals for political favors
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
I don't know who needs to hear this but Sean Mcquillan worked on set decoration and props for season 5 of The Magicians and he posted a gallery of his own set photos six years ago on Reddit and all I want to do is devote 2026 to recreating them in miniature 😭
www.reddit.com/r/brakebills...
www.reddit.com/r/brakebills...
December 7, 2025 at 1:05 AM
I don't know who needs to hear this but Sean Mcquillan worked on set decoration and props for season 5 of The Magicians and he posted a gallery of his own set photos six years ago on Reddit and all I want to do is devote 2026 to recreating them in miniature 😭
www.reddit.com/r/brakebills...
www.reddit.com/r/brakebills...
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
This is great. Very few people want to go to jail, get disbarred or die for this regime. Make them fight you. They will cave.
www.ms.now/news/minneap...
www.ms.now/news/minneap...
Minneapolis police chief warns officers: Stop unlawful force by ICE or lose your job
Chief Brian O’Hara says he’ll fire city police officers if they don’t intervene when immigration agents use unlawful force.
www.ms.now
December 6, 2025 at 1:51 PM
This is great. Very few people want to go to jail, get disbarred or die for this regime. Make them fight you. They will cave.
www.ms.now/news/minneap...
www.ms.now/news/minneap...
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
Fret not my Canadian friends, with our new food safety standards combined with American work ethic i expect these sandwiches will kill between 1-3% of the U.S. population
Of fucking course.
"When reached by CBC News about whether the sandwich would be sold in Canadian stores, a spokesperson for 7-Eleven could only confirm the sandwich's launch nationwide in the U.S."
www.cbc.ca/news/world/7...
"When reached by CBC News about whether the sandwich would be sold in Canadian stores, a spokesperson for 7-Eleven could only confirm the sandwich's launch nationwide in the U.S."
www.cbc.ca/news/world/7...
Japan's viral 7-Eleven egg salad sandwich launches in the U.S. Why is it so popular? | CBC News
7-Eleven is bringing its famous egg salad sandwich to U.S. stores, announcing Wednesday that its Japanese-style tamago sando has landed, complete with "pillowy milk bread and creamy egg salad made wit...
www.cbc.ca
December 6, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Fret not my Canadian friends, with our new food safety standards combined with American work ethic i expect these sandwiches will kill between 1-3% of the U.S. population
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
"What is the social utility of any of this? What value is being created? What disease is being cured? What air is being cleaned? What life is being improved by any of this?"
"Soon, CNN will run live odds on world events where its viewers can gamble on them in real time on their smartphones."
CNN Partners With a Gambling App That Lets You Wager on Starvation in Gaza
The app company’s two biggest investors are also heavily invested in the Israeli military.
truthout.org
December 6, 2025 at 4:02 PM
"What is the social utility of any of this? What value is being created? What disease is being cured? What air is being cleaned? What life is being improved by any of this?"
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
So not only were we busy telling the world what we were doing on insecure Signal chats, we were shooting down our own people at the same time. It has costs to put incompetent people in charge of national security, and I fear we are just beginning to pay them.
www.businessinsider.com/navy-warship...
www.businessinsider.com/navy-warship...
A Navy warship mistook US fighter jets for enemy missiles and opened fire. The targeted pilot saw his life flash before his eyes.
New documents reveal how the USS Gettysburg shot down an F/A-18 and nearly hit a second one above the Red Sea last year.
www.businessinsider.com
December 6, 2025 at 12:05 AM
So not only were we busy telling the world what we were doing on insecure Signal chats, we were shooting down our own people at the same time. It has costs to put incompetent people in charge of national security, and I fear we are just beginning to pay them.
www.businessinsider.com/navy-warship...
www.businessinsider.com/navy-warship...
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
I hate to say that sex workers tried to warn y'all this wasn't going to stop at just porn sites, but...
Y'all, I was in Mississippi today for my nephews J-State graduation and got this when I opened Blue Sky
December 6, 2025 at 12:32 AM
I hate to say that sex workers tried to warn y'all this wasn't going to stop at just porn sites, but...
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
Reposted by Matt Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
The most important line in a solid piece by @iandunt.bsky.social
"And yet for all its flaws, Bluesky offers something which is becoming vanishingly rare in the modern world: a vision of life without the algorithm. What I see is what I have chosen to see. We own our own destiny on Bluesky."
"And yet for all its flaws, Bluesky offers something which is becoming vanishingly rare in the modern world: a vision of life without the algorithm. What I see is what I have chosen to see. We own our own destiny on Bluesky."
Thank God for Bluesky
A little love letter to the people who would not compromise with Nazis.
iandunt.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:23 PM
The most important line in a solid piece by @iandunt.bsky.social
"And yet for all its flaws, Bluesky offers something which is becoming vanishingly rare in the modern world: a vision of life without the algorithm. What I see is what I have chosen to see. We own our own destiny on Bluesky."
"And yet for all its flaws, Bluesky offers something which is becoming vanishingly rare in the modern world: a vision of life without the algorithm. What I see is what I have chosen to see. We own our own destiny on Bluesky."